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Monday, October 3, 2016

Maggie's Swinging into a Square Dance

Month Five! For real! Can you believe it? The BOM has just marched on this year and it feels like every few days that I'm getting a friendly reminder from Jacquelynne to kindly get off my butt (my words, not hers) and make my blocks and blog about how amazing I am (again, my words, not hers). So here we are, and here we go!

Ha! Remember my butterfly sitch last month? I just noticed the butterfly is on the logo up there. The whole thing. Jacquelynne really is so much better than I am in all ways.

So this month we make five blocks. ACK! FIVE! Does this mean in month six I'm making SIX, because if so I better start now. I saved it all til yesterday and while they weren't hard, between picking out all my scrappy fabrics and cutting and sewing all five it was one of those projects that "expanded to fill up the time allotted," ie took me all day. However, I love my blocks, so well worth it.

I decided to add a little more color and scrappiness to my blocks, so I chose to use five different fabrics in each of my four main colors (blue, purple, green, yellow) rather than just yellow. So that meant a dive into my scrap bins.

I know many scrappy quilt designers like to preach that you should cut and order your scraps into special sizes, like 5" squares and 2 1/2" strips. To this idea, I always say "What happens when you need a bigger piece of scrap, or feel like doing something more exciting than using a couple of different sizes?" To my knowledge, none of the famous designers who order their scraps has actually heard me ask them this nor have they felt the need to answer me personally, but whatever. To each their own. My bins are scraps from tiny to just under 1/4 yard and I like it that way.

Actual randomly sized scraps found in my purple bin.

I found what I needed and cut them all into the size given. Because I am a quilter, I own tools to cut things, and that is what I do. Doesn't bother me at all that they weren't all precut to 2 1/2" strips. Because now I have more of most of them in bigger sizes and I STILL got to use them in this project. #winning

You can probably tell my greys were all different too. Because why not. My middle name is Random.

Cutting and sewing for an afternoon lead to five blocks, three illustrated here, along with the cautionary tale of "If you store your scraps in jumbled bins as I do, they tend to be wrinkly even after pressing." Bad news: I was too lazy to repress them before taking this photo. Good news: I can and will press them to death before I put the quilt together.

What you can't tell is that all these whites are different, even within blocks. This is a truly scrappy quilt.

Remember my issue with that one purple last month, and my musing that, should I decide to care, it might not really go with the rest of my purples? Well, I think making these blocks scrappy has sufficiently rendered the point moot. One of my constant quilting mottoes, along with "Perfection is Overrated," is "Whenever possible, Deflect." I think all this color does that well.

I'm already kind of excited about an idea I have to add a little more color to these alternate blocks. This of course assumes I will finish it. Because as you can see, I don't even have the whole thing together although I should, and you likely will never return to my blog to see if I do finish it because this month has proven I am slacking. Here's hoping we can all just picture it for now. I do promise to have it together AND WITH BORDERS next month! You heard it here first.

Someone who never slacks is this month's giveaway sponsor - Christa Watson of Christa Quilts. I've gotten to know her professionally over the last couple of years and she is a wonder. She designs fabulous modern patterns and wrote the best book on machine quilting I've ever come upon (no money was exchanged for me to say that) "The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting," which she penned along with Angela Walters. Angela covers the long arm parts, and Christa covers the domestic machine parts. As I am a domestic machine quilter, or of as I call it the "roll, stuff, swear, drink, repeat" variety, her tips on quilting designs and using your tiny machine for big quilting impact are amazing.

However, disclaimer. The book is amazing but that is not the prize this month. Never fear, though - Her patterns are just as fabulous! I mean look how cute!

In order to win the pattern pack, you must leave a comment for me telling me your favorite fall soup or stew. Recipe optional; you know we are all just going to look it up on Pinterest anyway if it sounds good. I considered asking you to tell me your brand of iron given my nasty wrinkled blocks, but that was just boring. And iron is only good to eat in cereal.

I like to make up a big pot of super-flavorful chicken stock, strain it then use it as a base for lots of soups with noodles or rice and lightly blanched veggies, also as the liquid in sauces for casseroles.

Scrappy is an excellent way to go!@susansquiltstudio. Sgrancio at Comcast dot net

I love a good potato soup but haven't found just the right recipe yet to make it myself. However I do make a good vegetable beef soup recipe with our own homegrown tomatoes, green beans, onions, corn, and soup bones . thanks.

I love ginger carrot squash soup, although I hate peeling the squash, so I cheat and cook the squash in the oven and scoop it out and then use home made vegetable broth to make the soup, very good indeed!! I will need to buy the machine quilting book since it isn't one of the prizes this month.

LOve your sense of humor!! My most recent soup was entitled The Best Butternut Squash Soup Ever. I found it on Pinterest. It was delish! And it was easy because I precooked my Butternut Squash on low in the crockpot for 4 hours. No need to worry about chopping my fingers off - it comes out nice and soft!!

"Well, I think making these blocks scrappy has sufficiently rendered the point moot. "I just love this sentence! It just flows off the tongue! Thanks. (I love words!) I also like your scrappy idea. It will help me tie my blocks together, I think.Barb in CA (where it's finally cool)

I love making soup in the cooler weather. My favorite is kind of a Tex-Mex soup that I made up. It has chicken, broth, salsa, black beans, onions, and either rice or quinoa in it. Sometimes I will throw in some corn, celery or shredded carrots. Depends on what I have on hand. Yummy!

I do scrappy (deflect!) like you just because I love variety! My favorite soup is a rich tomato made with cream & sherry. I found the recipe on The Pioneer Woman several years back. It's always a hit when served to family & friends.

It is quite difficult to choose one favorite soup I enjoy for fall, I must say anything with vegetables is delicious! Carrots, potatoes, onions! I even add squash and zuchinnis ( I may even sneak in an apple!) anitalynette.simmons@yahoo.com

I love potato soup and my husband prefers chili so we have more chili but I am thinking potato this week. I make mine with almond milk since my husband has a hugh lactose intolerance problem. It is really good made that way.

I don't know if it is specifically a fall soup, but the best one I've ever eaten was Five Mushroom Soup. I had it in a restaurant and loved it so much I decided to try it at home. I bought five different kinds of mushrooms and winged it, and it was still fantastic.

I'm a big fan of Christa's quilts and would love to win a set of her patterns.

I love to make taco soup in my crock pot from a recipe I got from a dear friend. It includes all kinds of beans and hominy. I serve it over Fritos with shredded cheese on the top. Even our grandkids like it and they usually prefer McDonalds.

Lovely colour choices, those purples sing. Fav soup, Hugh makes pumpkin and onion soup, he does it all from start to finish, chops the huge orange monster, peels the cut up pieces, slices the ( eye teary ) onions, puts all in a huge pot, adds some spices, cooks till tender, than mashes it smooth with the potato masher. Then we have some in the fridge, and containers are put in the freezer. Perfect for a freezing cold day later on.

My favorite fall soup, which I made yesterday, is Chicken Enchilada Soup.... It's a total cheater soup: can of cream of chicken soup, can of nacho cheese soup, 2 2/3 c. milk, can of green chilis, can of red enchilada sauce and 2 or 3 shredded chicken breasts. Warm slowly as it will burn easily. Add crushed tortilla chips to your bowl and sour cream if you like.... tastes like you're eating an enchilada. I make a double batch and we eat on it all week (more time for quilting!)

My favorite fall soup is "Clean out the fridge" soup. I start with a pound of hamburger and a pound of sausage. I brown them in my big pot with chopped onions or leeks. I add potatoes, carrots, celery, green beans and/or any vegetable that needs to be used up. I add a can of tomato juice and enough water with beef bouillon or stock to taste. We eat it with a salad and rolls, and it's always better the next day.

Kitchen Sink Chili, unfortunately, there is no way to write down a recipe, because every time , there is something different in the Refrig. Leftover ham scraps? In they go. Potatoes? Sure. Bit left in a catsup bottle? Add a little water, shake it up, and in it goes. You get the idea.

My favorite fall soup is called Baked Forgotten Stew. After browning your stew beef,you put it in a Dutch oven with chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, and an onion along with 2 cans reduced fat cream of mushroom or celery (whichever suits your taste) with one-half soup can or less of water, and a bay leaf. Cover the Dutch oven and put it in 350° oven and forget it! It is done when veggies are tender. Yum! I'm going to have to make that soon!

My favorite fall soup is called Baked Forgotten Stew. After browning your stew beef,you put it in a Dutch oven with chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, and an onion along with 2 cans reduced fat cream of mushroom or celery (whichever suits your taste) with one-half soup can or less of water, and a bay leaf. Cover the Dutch oven and put it in 350° oven and forget it! It is done when veggies are tender. Yum! I'm going to have to make that soon!

Like a number of responses ahead of me, I love Chili con Carne in the fall. I was so happy to see that your scraps are in random sizes, although I do note that you sort by color! So far I file by project, with all the scraps from each quilt in a layer, and recently I decided to make scrappy cushions to go with several quilts and it was fun to dive into the scraps and find them all together.

My favorite soup is Taco Soup - but I like it year round! I wish I had your attitude about making something scrappy - I worry too much about fabrics matching. Thanks for the chance to win the patterns.

The family favorite "soup" in our house is called Bacon Corn Soup [Taste of home 2011] but we call it Bacon Corn Chowder as we have changed it a little bit. instead of making just 6-8 servings we make an 8 quart pot full of this amazing and filling soup/chowder so it can last a few days or feed a small crowd as everyone always wants seconds.

We put in a full pound of bacon (instead of just 4 slices)2 full sweet or yellow onions - chopped (not just 1 c)We add about 1/2 pot chopped/diced potatoes (instead of 1 1/2 c's)About 1 heaping Tbsp or 3 cubes of chicken bouillon (not just 1 tsp/cub)Just enough water to cover the potatoes - about 4-6 c-s (not just 2 cups)1/4 c all-purpose flour or corn starch3 c milk divided - 1/4 c & 2 3/4 c (not just 2)2 c half-and-half (not just 1)1 LB bag of frozen corn (the cans don't work, not sure why)16-24 oz of shredded cheese we mostly have a 3 cheese blend on hand so that's what we use (not the 8 oz of Velveeta cut up into cubes like they say tried it once we didn't like it)Salt and pepper to taste

In 8 quart pot cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon; crumble and set aside. In the drippings, sauté onion until tender. Add potatoes, bouillon, and water then lightly stir; cover potatoes with lid and simmer until potatoes are soft. In a small bowl, combine flour/corn starch and 1/4 cup milk until smooth. Add this mixture, cream, corn, and remaining milk to the soup/chowder; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Turn off heat; add cheese and bacon. Stir and season with salt and pepper until the cheese is melted and everything is semi evenly distributed.

"How many of you would stand up in front of a bunch of quilters and parade all your quilting mistakes? Well, Beth does it with flair!" (Perfection is Overrated Lecture review, Merrimack Valley Quilters, MA)

"A member called me today to tell me you had 'freed her'!" (Jeanne G., President, First Dutchess Quilters, NY)

Obviously I love to quilt and design or I wouldn't officially be EPQD. But a close second love is taking the show on the road with one of my three available lectures, "Perfection is Overrated", "Plays Well With Others", and "Give it a Scrap Slap." Through each in turn I attempt to free the quilting world from the oppression of the Quilt Police, share how adding more quilters to your project enhances the final product, or encourage quilters to step over the fabric line and see that more fabrics and scraps make your quilts sing. All lectures are one hour, contain lots of quilts, and are delivered in my signature irreverent style that reminds us all not to take ourselves too seriously. Lectures available to all guilds and shops in the USA. Check my current schedule by clicking on the Schedule pagein the navigation bar at the top of this blog's home page.